🫘 Runner bean

Runner beans are the classic British summer bean: vigorous climbers with bright red, white or pink flowers, which produce heavy crops of long, flat, tender pods from July to October. They are decorative enough for the front garden and grow up wigwams, fences and arches.

They need a sturdy support, rich soil and plenty of water, and they are not frost-hardy. Dwarf varieties are available for pots. Flowers sometimes drop without setting in hot, dry weather, so water plants and mist the flowers.

Varieties to try

Scarlet Emperor (classic, heavy cropper)Enorma (very long pods)White Lady (white flowers, set well in heat)Painted Lady (red and white, traditional)Hestia (dwarf, ideal for pots)

Sow indoors from mid-April to mid-May, 5 cm deep, in individual pots of multipurpose compost. Or sow direct outdoors from mid-May to June, after the frost risk has passed, 5 cm deep and 15–20 cm apart at the base of each support. Plant two seeds per cane and remove the weaker.

Prepare the soil well in advance: dig a trench in winter and fill with kitchen waste and compost to hold moisture. Build a wigwam or double row of 2.4 m canes before planting, tied firmly at the top. Harden off indoor-sown plants before planting out.

Top tips

• Never plant out before frost has finished.
• Dig in compost to hold moisture.
• Use 2.4 m canes with firm ties.
• Sow a few extra seeds in pots as replacements.

Guide young shoots to their cane, winding them anticlockwise. Pinch out the tip when the plant reaches the top of the support. Water thoroughly every few days in dry weather, especially in flowering, and mulch to retain moisture. A weekly tomato feed helps pods develop.

Mist flowers in dry weather to help them set. Blackfly may colonise the tips, and slugs eat seedlings. Pick regularly to keep plants producing. Wind can topple wigwams, so anchor them well.

Top tips

• Pinch out at the top of the support.
• Water and mist in dry spells.
• Pick regularly.
• Protect young plants from slugs.

Watch out for

Slugs on seedlingsBlackflyFlowers dropping in dry weatherRed spider mite in hot summers

Begin picking pods when they are about 15–20 cm long and slim, before the beans inside swell, usually from mid-July. Pick at least every few days, as leaving pods to mature stops the plant flowering. Hold the stem and pull the pod down to avoid damaging the vine.

At the end of the season, leave a few pods to mature and dry on the plant for seed. Cut the plants off at the base and leave roots in the ground to release nitrogen. Roots of runner beans can be lifted and stored over winter in frost-free places.

Top tips

• Pick every 2–3 days at the peak.
• Pick while pods are slim and tender.
• Leave some pods to dry for seed.
• Cut plants off at the base.

Top and tail the pods, string if necessary, slice diagonally and steam or boil for 4–5 minutes, until just tender. Serve with butter, add to curries, stir-fries, stews and salads, or pickle for chutney. Use young pods for the best flavour; large, old pods are tough.

Pods keep for up to a week in the fridge in a bag. Freeze by slicing, blanching for 2 minutes, cooling and freezing in bags for up to a year. Salting beans in layers of coarse salt, as in the old way, also preserves them. Dried mature beans can be used in stews.

Top tips

• Blanch for 2 minutes before freezing.
• Slice diagonally for tenderness.
• Add to chutney to use gluts.
• String older pods.